I'll welcome you home
by Insanity-is-Freedom
Summary: Young Severus Snape is left to fend for himself every summer. He's used to the empty house and spends most of his time brewing Potions. But one day he comes across Petunia Evans and everything changes...Severus/Petunia, set in their childhood.
1. Chapter 1

**This fic exists because there aren't enough Severus/Petunia out there! This story is about Severus Snape and Petunia Evans during their childhood. You will probably find them OOC but that's because I'm supposing they weren't a greasy git and an old hag right from the start.**

**Just so you know this fic might never end because I only write it when I feel like it, which isn't very often. I hope you'll like it all the same ^^**

* * *

At the start of the summer holidays, the young Severus Snape came back to Spinner's end to find an empty home. Ever since he had first left for Hogwarts two years ago, his father had made a point to desert the house every time Severus came back for holidays. Not that it bothered the young Slytherin that much. He would rather have the house to himself than to have to deal with a drunk and violent father. Never would he admit to anyone that the empty house he came back to every single time felt just a bit lonely.

The house wasn't that big. It had a small kitchen-dining room and a sitting room on the first floor, two bedrooms and a bathroom on the second. In the sitting room was the door leading to the tiny garden at the back of the house. The garden hadn't been cared for since his mother had died and now looked more like a miniature jungle rather than an actual garden.

The black-haired boy lifted the heavy trunk and carried it to the second floor. He dropped it into his bedroom. The room was small and only had the bare minimum in it. Severus being a true Slytherin he wouldn't let any prized possessions lie around for everyone to see. Therefore he kept most of his things in his trunk and took them with him when he went at Hogwarts. He didn't have many valuable objects anyway so it didn't bother him much. Apart from the bed which stood in the centre of the room, there was only a bookcase, which mainly contained his various Potions book.

He had his stack of Potion ingredients and his Potion material in his suitcase. There were empty vials waiting to be used in a box under the bed and the cellar would make an excellent Potions lab. Brewing Potions during your holidays was of course forbidden but the Ministry didn't have any way of checking for any infractions to this rule. And the last winter, he had managed to create a Vanishing potion which had the same effect as a Vanishing spell, which would enable him to get rid of any failed Potion. He shouldn't be found out, which was a good thing really since brewing potions was the only exciting thing to do around here.

Abandoning his trunk, he went back down stairs. He walked past the sitting room and into the kitchen. As usual, his father had left some money on the table with a phone number on a bit of paper. The phone number was in case he needed more money to last the summer. Severus knew however that he would not use it unless he was dying of hunger. He hated relying on his alcoholic father. He hated his father.

He went to the fridge and opened it. There was a bottle of milk, a few eggs, sausages, and two carrots. He would need to go shopping tomorrow. At least he had enough to eat for dinner and breakfast. He closed the fridge and walked to the middle of the room. What should he do now? He had two hours before sunset so it wouldn't be worth it to start brewing a Potion now. The only thing available in the house was the Muggle newspapers his father had left behind. Quite frankly, he didn't care for anything that happened in the Muggle world, his father's world.

If he was going to be bored, he might as well be bored outside. The coldness and emptiness of the place made him feel sick. He went to his room and took some Muggle clothes out of his trunk. A few moments later he left the house wearing a pair of black jeans and a plain black tee-shirt. He closed the door and locked it. There used to be wards around the house, but when his mother, the only witch of his family, had died, the wards had disappeared. So he had to use keys like a Muggle to prevent anyone from entering the house.

He walked down Spinner's End, towards the park where he used to hang out with Lily. She wouldn't be there, he knew that. And even if she was, she wouldn't talk to him. They had gotten in a fight at the start of the year. It had all begun with a prank of the Marauders and he had been annoyed when she had laughed with the other Gryffindors. When he talked to her about it, she had said he was being stupid and that he couldn't take a joke. He'd replied that he could take a joke but not cruel pranks like Potter and his gang liked. An argument had followed during which Lily had insulted the Slytherins and Severus had finally had enough and called her a 'mudblood'. He wasn't proud of it, he had to admit that. But he didn't think it had been wrong of him to have been annoyed. Even so he shouldn't have called a 'mudblood', not that he was going to apologise though. This time Lily had been in the wrong. If someone had to apologise it would be her.

The row had taken place three month ago so he was pretty sure she wouldn't apologise. He had already resigned himself to the fact that their friendship was lost. Perhaps that was for the best. After all, his Slytherin friends hadn't liked that he was hanging out with a muggleborn. They considered anyone who wasn't a pureblood lesser than slime. Severus being a halfblood was already seen pretty badly. He barely made up for it by being the best student at Potions.

He sat on a bench near the small lake. He watched the children playing on the games on the other side of the lake. A few years ago he had played with Lily over there. She had been his best friend at the time and he had thought she would always be. Now that he thought about it they'd grown distant ever since they had been sorted. Was it the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin that robbed off on them? Maybe they had been influenced by their housemates. Or maybe they just weren't meant to be friends from the start. He would probably never know.


	2. Chapter 2

Petunia closed the door softly behind her, inhaling the fresh air. Lily had just come back from Hogwarts. Of course, she was happy to see her. She was her sister after all. Not to mention they had been quite close before. Before Lily received her letter. From the time Lily had learned she was a witch, Petunia had felt a distance between them. They were sisters, but they didn't live in the same world anymore. Lily was a witch, and Petunia was not. She was a…a Muggle, they called it.

Her parents were doting on Lily now that she was back. And wasn't that normal? They hadn't seen her in a few months, not like Petunia whom they saw every day. Perhaps, that was why they didn't treat their two daughters the same way. Still, Petunia felt left out. It wasn't jealousy. She would just have wanted to be a part, even a very small part, but a part of Lily's world. So that at least they could have a proper conversation. Whenever Lily talked, it was always about Hogwarts and the magical world; things that Petunia didn't understand.

The blond girl slowly made her way to the park. She had always liked the place. She liked being able to simply relax and just look at the flowers. She liked the peaceful atmosphere which was sometimes disturbed children laughing or yelling to their friends.

She walked towards the lake but froze as soon as the benches came into her sight. There was a boy there. He had black shoulder-length hair and dark eyes, staring at the lake in front of him. She recognised him immediately. She had seen him with Lily countless times before. Severus, he was called. Now that she thought about it, Lily hadn't so much as mentioned him ever since she came back. Rather she hadn't said a word about him for a few months now. Her letters always contained stories of school and there usually were descriptions of what her friends had done or what that prat James Potter had said. Yet, her last letters had been clearly lacking the usual stories about 'Sev' as Lily called him. Her parents had been quite happy that she didn't seem to care about him anymore. They had never liked the boy. Mainly because his father was not the type of people you would want near your children. He was an alcoholic and there had been rumours that he hit his son.

Petunia hadn't cared. There was no real reason why she would. She had never been close to him. It was always Lily he came to see. Always Lily he talked to. And there was the fact that he had been the one to tell Lily she was a witch. He had told her once, after he had seen her make a flower bloom, even before she had received her Hogwarts letter. Maybe it had been that day that Lily had distanced herself from her sister. Maybe that was why, Petunia saw Severus as the embodiment of the magical world, the world that had taken her sister away from her.

The boy seemed to notice he was being watched and turned his head. His gaze met hers and she knew he had recognised her. She could tell by the sight frown that had appeared on his face. It didn't stay long though and soon he was back to wearing a blank mask. He didn't turn his eyes away though and they were left staring at each other, neither of them moving or uttering a word.

It was Petunia who moved first. She wiped the shocked expression from her face and determinedly went to sit by him on the bench. He watched her move with a faint interest and then went back to staring at the lake. Petunia didn't know why she had done that. She could have just walked away and pretended she didn't know him. Or she could have just said hello and left. But somehow, she had ended up sitting with him and silently looking at the lake. Well it didn't matter, she was comfortable with the silence and it was nice having company even if you didn't talk.

* * *

He had watched the girl as she sat beside him. He had recognised her of course. He remembered her short blond hair that looked like dried straw and her icy blue eyes. She was Lily's sister. She had been with Lily when he had first talked to her. He'd never talked to the elder girl though. He couldn't even remember her name now. Lily called her 'Tuney'. It was some kind of flower…Petunia, it was Petunia. It was a nice name not as nice as Lily of course, but nice all the same.

He looked at her from the corner of his eye. She was thin. Thinner than Lily, somehow it made her look unhealthy. She had an angular face, devoid of any kind of charm. Her eyes were cold. Her lips were thin and set in a tight line. She had a long neck but it didn't stand out that much thanks to her shoulder length hair. She was wearing plain clothes, a white tee-shirt and blue jeans. She wasn't wearing any jewellery or perfume. Compared to Lily, she was plain, uninteresting.

He turned his gaze back to the lake and contemplated the dark waters silently. Neither of them said a word but they both felt the comfortable presence of another human being. It surprised him when she got up suddenly. He turned to her with a puzzled expression. She blinked at him as if she was surprised by his reaction.

"It's nearly dinner time."

Her voice was different from how he recalled it. It was softer, somehow, than in his memories.

He nodded. Without further inquire, he turned back to his silent staring. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her shifting uncomfortably. She had seemed determined to leave and yet here she was watching with eyes that said she wanted to ask something.

"Are…Aren't you going to go back home?"

He didn't turn to her this time. He could feel her stare on him and made sure the blank mask was in place.

"Nobody's waiting for me." His voice was calm, but there had been a hard edge to it that hadn't gone unnoticed.

With a last glance at him, the girl walked away. Her quick footsteps echoing in the silence of the empty park.


	3. Chapter 3

After eating a slice of bread with jam for his breakfast, Severus got to work. For his first day of vacation he had decided to brew The Draught of Living Death. It was quite an advanced potion and also a dangerous one. Not that he was going to use it of course. The black haired boy walked down the stairs leading to the cellar. He walked to the centre of the room where his cauldron was. He opened his Advanced Potion-Making book, which was normally used by seventh year. He read the recipe.

The Draught of Living Death

_Cut up the Sophophorus bean._ The sophophorus bean should be crushed, not cut, to get more juice from it.

_Pour in 250 . of water and add 5 oz. of African sea salt to the beaker. Set the beaker aside after all the water has been added. Be very careful not to shake or move the beaker now._

_Leave the water and salt to rest for five minutes._

_Slowly pour all the water into the cauldron._

_With your left hand use the graduated cylinder to obtain 40 . of essence of wormwood._

_With your right hand hold the cauldron at a slight angle and pour ten drops (20 .) of essence of wormwood._

_Now with your left hand hold the cauldron at a slightly different angle and pour another ten drops of wormwood essence._

_Chop three Valerian roots into small squared pieces. After cutting place it in a beaker with water. Leave it to settle for five minutes. Your potion should now be resembling a smoot blackcurrant-coloured liquid._

_Carefully pour the Sophophorus bean's juice into the cauldron_

_Add seven drops of the reduced liquid from the beaker; make sure there are no traces or fragments of Valerian root._

_Stir the potion ten times clockwise; your potion should now be turning a light shade of lilac._

_With your right hand stir the potion anti-clockwise until the potion turns as clear was water; every stir should take approximately two and a half seconds._

_Slowly pour seven square pieces of Valerian root._

_Stir the potion ten times anti-clockwise._

_Add one hundred and fifty . of powdered root of asphodel._

_Hold the cauldron with your right hand; with your left hand gently stir the potion ten times anti-clockwise and eight times clockwise._ Stir anti-clockwise seven times and clockwise once instead.

_Leave the potion to settle for two and a half minutes._

_Add one small piece of Valerian root._

_Your potion should turn to a pale pink colour; the preparation is now complete._

He had already made some notes in his book, after researching upgrades he could make to the recipe so that it would be easier to brew the potion. He started crushing his sophophorus beans carefully.

Potion brewing took him all of his morning and a good part of the afternoon. Therefore it was five when he came back up and decided it was time he went shopping. He picked some money from the kitchen table and left, locking the door behind him. He walked slowly. There was no reason to hurry and he quite enjoyed being outside. It was true he didn't look like the type to go outside much with his overly pale skin, but that was because he liked going out at night the most. He enjoyed moving amongst the shadows, liked walking the silent streets without people murmuring as he passed.

He arrived at the store and did his shopping quickly. He absolutely hated shopping. There was always some middle aged woman who would look at him with a wary eye. They always treated him like some sort of criminal, just because he wore cheap clothes and because he didn't have an ideal home. He absolutely hated these muggles!

He was relieved when he came out. The light was dimming but it wasn't quite night yet. Severus hesitated a few minutes. Should he go back home? But no one was waiting for him there and he wasn't particularly looking forward to going back in that house. Instead, he decided to go to the park and watch the lake as he had done the previous evening. He made his way across the street and in the park. As he approached the bench he had sat on the day before, he noticed a figure sitting there. As he walked closer he managed to see the person more clearly. It was her, Petunia. It surprised him a bit but he decided not to dwell on it. She had the right to sit wherever she wanted after all.

"Hi." he said as he sat down beside the girl.

The girl's head jerked upwards and she blinked at him.

"Hi." she replied after a moment of confusion.

Severus could feel the icy blue eyes on him as he turned his gaze towards the lake. It didn't feel uncomfortable though. After a few minutes, Petunia looked away.

"Do you live alone?" asked the girl.

"Yeah, my dad leaves when I'm on holyday." said Severus.

He had no idea why he was being honest with the girl. His Slytherin instinct was telling him he should give her the cold shoulder and not give her any information. But he was comfortable and felt compelled to reply.

"Aren't you lonely?" the blue eyes turned to look at the dark haired boy.

Severus turned to look at her and met her gaze. It wasn't such much of a cold gaze, as he had initially thought but rather a tranquil and patient gaze. And maybe, just maybe the tiniest hint of softness.

"Not really." said Severus looking away.

It was a lie. And he knew Petunia had felt it. The girl's eyes turned to the lake. They sat side by side, in silence, until the sky began to darken. Petunia got up. Severus expected her to leave and yet she was standing there without taking another step.

"Can I come and cook for you tomorrow?" asked the girl suddenly.

Surprised, the dark haired boy turned to look at her. There was a slight blush in her cheeks and she looked uncertain. Severus tried to evaluate the possibilities of it being a trap of some kind but found that he was unable to think.

"Sure." he found himself saying.

The girl looked surprised. Then she looked relieved and finally she smiled. It was a small and shy smile, but a smile nonetheless. Severus watched her leave, unable to turn away. It was after she had disappeared in the growing darkness that the information finally made it to his brain. He had just agreed to let her cook for him tomorrow. Severus tried to convince himself that it was a disaster but somehow couldn't quite manage it. He hadn't had had a decent meal since he had left Hogwarts after all…


	4. Chapter 4

Petunia had sprawled all her best clothes on her bed, trying to decide what she would wear. She had no idea why she was acting like she had an extremely important appointment when she was only going to cook at that boy's house. She didn't even know why she had suggested it in the first place, perhaps because she was lonely and Severus looked lonely as well. She had to admit, she had been surprised that the boy agreed to it. She was sure he would refuse; but he hadn't.

She looked at the pile of clothes. She suddenly felt like banging her head against the walls. This was ridiculous; she should just wear normal clothes. It would do just fine, she would only cook and eat there after all. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a pale blue sleeveless shirt and put them on. She quickly combed her hair and with one last look at the mirror she went downstairs to pick the ingredients she had bought earlier.

"I'm going." she called.

"Have a nice day." called back her mother.

She had told them she was going at a friend's house for lunch. She knew her parents had assumed the friend in question was a classmate. She was pretty sure they wouldn't have agreed so easily if she had told her she was going at the house of a boy who lived alone and who just happened to be Severus Snape. She felt a bit guilty but reminded herself that she hadn't lied to them; she just hadn't told them the entire truth.

Checking that her keys were in her pocket, Petunia left her house and made her way towards Spinner's End. There weren't many people in the streets which was good as Petunia didn't want the neighbours to tell her parents that she had gone to the Snape household. She rang the doorbell and waited. If she hadn't known better she would have thought the house was abandoned. It looked old and rundown. She heard footsteps inside the house and the door swung open revealing Severus in plain jeans and shirt. The boy looked at her with a strange expression on his face and Petunia thought he would tell her to leave.

"Come in." he said at last making way for her to step inside.

She entered the house and he closed the door behind her. The inside was similar to the outside. It was old and dirty. She followed the dark haired boy in the kitchen which also served as a dining room.

"I was thinking of making curry, do you like it?" she asked placing her bag of ingredients carefully on the table.

"I've never had curry before so I don't know." replied the boy taking a seat.

"I see. What kind of food do you usually eat?" asked Petunia as she started taking out the ingredients. "By the way do you have a frying pan?"

"It's in the drawer on your right." he said pointing to the drawer. "Since I'm not very good at cooking I usually eat basic stuff, like sausages and such."

They stayed silent for a while, Petunia continuing cooking and Severus observing her. Soon a nice smell filled the kitchen. The blonde girl smiled as she looked at the simmering curry. It was looking good.

"Should I lay the table?" asked Severus.

"Yes please, I think it will be ready in a few minutes." she said with a smile.

The dark haired boy nodded and started placing plates, knives and forks on the table. Petunia turned back to the dish. Satisfied with the result she brought the dish to the table. She served them as Severus sat at the table. They ate in silence. Severus seemed to like curry a lot and had a second helping. Petunia was quite happy that it had so much success.

Once they were done eating, they washed their plates and went in the sitting room. They sat in silence for a while longer. This gave Petunia the chance to inspect her surroundings. The room was dirty. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in ages; it probably hadn't. Petunia was a bit fussy about cleaning and it unsettled her greatly that there was room that was so dirty and that she was not cleaning it.

"I don't mean to be rude," she started after a moment of hesitation. "but do you ever clean?"

The boy stared at her blankly, most likely surprised.

"No, not really." he said at last.

He must have noticed the look of shocked horror that Petunia gave him because he added:

"I only live here in the summer and even then I don't spend much time inside, so it doesn't really matter."

"But surely it can't be healthy!" exclaimed the blonde girl frowning slightly.

The boy shrugged.

"Can I clean?" blurted Petunia.

She blushed furiously when she realized that the words had actually left her mouth. The boy blinked.

"Well, I don't mind but…" he looked suspicious as if he expected a trap or something.

"I mean, I like to clean and it would probably better for you not to live in dust all the time." she justified herself quickly.

Severus stared at her before shaking his head.

"Do whatever you want." he said in the familiar bored drawl.

Petunia beamed at him. She then enquired about cleaning equipment and got to work. Meanwhile Severus retreated to the cellar to 'work'. Petunia started with the sitting room. She dusted the little furniture there was and vacuum the floor. She also did her best to rid the sofa of all its dust. Once she was satisfied with the sitting room, she went into the kitchen/dining room and started cleaning there as well.

It was half past six by the time she finished cleaning the first floor. She put her equipment back in its cupboard and walked to the cellar. She opened the door slightly and looked inside. The room wasn't like any other cellar she had seen. It had a long table on one side, with loads of strange looking plants and…well, stuff. On the walls were shelves packed with books and vials sporting etiquettes with names in Latin, and in the middle of the room was a cauldron set on a fire. Severus was behind the cauldron, his back turned to her.

"Severus?" she called hesitantly.

The boy jumped in surprise and turned around hastily. The blonde girl gave him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." she said. "I just came to tell you that I would be heading home, now. I'll come back tomorrow to clean the rooms upstairs, if that's alright with you."

The dark haired boy looked surprised that she would be coming back. For a moment he had an uneasy expression on his face.

"Alright then." he said just when Petunia thought he would tell her to never come back. "See you tomorrow."

The blonde girl smiled and bid him goodbye before silently closing the door again. She made her way back to the front door and picked her coat. A minute later, the front door banged shut and silence settled in the house once more. It wasn't the same kind of silence though; it wasn't heavy and cold but rather peaceful.


End file.
